Torah Way to Enlightenment - 003 Seeing The Spiritual In the Material World

(Summary: In the previous chapters, we have begun to explain the path of hisbodedus. The general outline of hisbodedus is in three stages, as will be explained in detail throughout this sefer. The first stage is to reveal the self as a soul. The second stage is to bond with the Creator in prayer. The third stage is recognition of the Creator and revelation of G-dliness, which is the true havayah (reality) of all that exists.

We have begun to scratch the surface of the first stage, by establishing that man consists of guf (body) and neshamah (soul). The neshamah\soul in us is hidden. Therefore, our first undertaking here will be: to reveal the neshamah.

We explained that the body has four senses through which the soul can shine through and thereby be revealed: the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and speech. The soul’s senses are unlimited and are not bound to the rules that we know of our physical senses. The senses of the soul are calmer, whereas the physical senses are louder.)

1. The Expansion and Quieting of the Senses

In order to allow the soul’s senses to be come out from its potential state and be revealed, we will need to both expand, as well as quiet, the physical senses.

From this point onward, we will explain the ways of our early Sages in how they reached the revelation of the senses of the soul. In order to do this, we will need to go through each of the senses, both quieting and expanding them. In the coming chapters, we will provide examples of how the senses of the soul can be expressed, learning how to both quiet and expand them.

In this chapter, we will go into detail of how to expand the sense of sight, as well as how to quiet it, (in accordance with Hashem’s will). First we will deal with how to actively use the soul’s sense of sight, which we refer to as seeing “Yeish” [lit. “substance”, the physical layer of reality], and in the next chapter we will explain how to use a deeper kind of sight, which we will refer to as seeing “Ayin” [lit. “nothingness” – seeing a non-physical dimension].

2. Expanded Vision: Looking At The Sky

The Arizal writes that one of the ways in which a person can expand his comprehension is by looking at the sky, when it is clear and bright. How does this work?

The simple understanding of this concept is that when a person looks at the sky, he is seeing something that is more spiritual. This is true, but it is not the inner perspective of the matter. Although the sky is definitely more spiritual looking than the physical earth you walk on, and it is more purifying to your vision when you look at it, there is a more inner understanding to this.

Looking at the sky opens you up to the concept of an unlimited kind of vision. The sky is endless, so when you look at it, you are learning how to see something that is unlimited. Of course, if you use your eyes to take in the view of the entire spectrum of the sky, you will see where it begins and where it ends in the scope of your vision, just like you see the beginning and end of a table. So what did the Arizal mean, that viewing the sky is an endless kind of vision? He was referring to something deeper – a deep kind of perspective that can be gained, through looking at the sky.

These words of the Arizal were very subtle. He meant that one can see the sky through a place in himself that is free from limitations - by getting used to seeing something which doesn’t seem to have an end, you gain a kind of ‘lens’ that is endless. He did not mean that the sky is endless, of course, because we know that all creations are limited and have an end at some point. What he meant was that looking at the sky can help a person free himself from the limited kind of vision that we are used to.

Let’s analyze this further. All creations that we see are limited. A table, a chair, and a house all have a shape with measurements. The shape of each thing we see is its limitations – and the same is true vice versa. Thus, if a person wants to expand his vision, he needs to learn how to see something that has no specific measurements.

So the depth of the concept of staring at the sky is to learn how to gain an unlimited kind of viewpoint. The sky has no specific measurements you can see.

Later, we will mention another concept which expands vision: looking at the stars or the moon, in which the gain will be that a person sees something illuminating. We will soon explain this, with Hashem’s help, but we will mention here briefly that this practice contains a drawback: one is seeing something limited. When you see the stars or the moon, you’re seeing a compacted version of it in its entirety, so you’re not seeing something unlimited. But when you see the sky, you see something that cannot be contained in the entirety of your vision.

3. Expanded Vision: Looking At The Sea

The same gain is accomplished by looking at the sea, which also offers a person an expansive and unlimited view. You can’t see the end of the ocean, so when you look at it, you are seeing something that cannot be entirely contained in the vision of your eye.

If you keep focusing your vision on the point where your vision cannot see further, you learn how to free your soul from being used to a limited kind of vision.

In contrast, staring at the ocean waves will not give you this gain. Although it is calming to watch the waves, the drawback to it is that you can see the entire wave, which means that you’re seeing something limited.

Trying to see the depth of the surface underneath the ocean’s water is another example of seeing an unlimited kind of view, because you are seeing something in which you cannot see the end, so it offers the same gain of looking at the expanse of the sky.

4. What About Looking At Air?

At this point, you might be wondering: If so, why doesn’t looking at the air in front of me accomplish the same thing? After all, you can’t see air, so looking at the air should also be an example of seeing something unlimited. But although there is truth to that, the fact of the matter is that looking at the air in front of you will not expand your vision. This is because your physical eyes need to see something tangible, in order for it to develop its sense of sight for the unlimited.

We are used to seeing something that has tangibility, and therefore, in order for the average person to expand his sight, he needs to see something that can be visualized which is also expansive at the same time. Looking at the air, by contrast, is not something you can visualize, because it is invisible, so your vision doesn’t become expanded when you look at it. Therefore, when most people stare at the air, they will not feel like this is doing anything for them. (However, there are some people who have greatly purified and refined their spiritual senses, and they can expand their vision even when they see nothing.)

The path which we are presenting here is to learn how to see the most subtle kinds of visions that we can see with our eyes. In each of the methods that we are discussing, though, you will find that there is one kind of vision which appears in certain aspects to be more refined in its nature than other kinds of visions, and this is true about all of them. Each of these visions contains a more refined aspect than the others, as well as aspects that are more materialistic and less refined, than the other kinds of vision. This is because there is nothing in Creation which is all-inclusive and which would contain every single aspect.

(We find the same thing with color. Each of the colors contains a certain aspect that is more calming than the other colors. [So too, each of the methods here contains a certain subtlety in it that quiets the sense of vision.])

Summary

We have so far explained that if a person wants to reveal the senses of the soul, he needs to expand them as well as quiet them. Until now, we have only explained about the sense of sight, and we have brought a few examples of how to expand as well as quiet this sense. The examples included viewing the sky, viewing the expanse of the sea, and viewing the ocean waves. The gain of the above examples is that it provides a person with the ability to see an expansive kind of view, enabling the human eye to see something unlimited [giving a person a sense for the endless]. Additionally, the gain of viewing these sights is because they are not contained in any form or structure. In that aspect, they also represent an endless, unlimited kind of vision.

Now we will present more examples which expand vision. We will go through each of them, with Hashem’s help, and see the gains of each one, as well as the drawbacks in each of them (which is why they do not lead to a total expansion of the sense of sight, in spite of what is to be gained from them).

5. Expanded Vision: Staring Into A Flame

There is an avodah [mentioned in the sefarim hakedoshim] to stare at a flame. This did not originate from gentile nations of the world; it is an avodah that is already mentioned long ago in the words of our earlier Sages. [And now that we’re on that subject, let us mention here a disclaimer about everything else that is to come in this sefer: everything mentioned in this sefer is based solely and purely on the sefarim hakedoshim [the holy, classic books of Torah literature, which explained about inner wisdom].

Staring at a flame contains both an advantage with regards [to the soul’s sense of vision], as well as a disadvantage [to the soul’s sense of vision].

The advantage is that the soul become more opened when one sees light, for the neshamah (Divine soul) is called “light”, for it is written, “Ner Hashem, Nishmas Adam” (“The flame of G-d is the soul of man”).[1] The guf\body, by contrast, is called “darkness”, for This World is compared to darkness, and the body represents the materialism of This World. This is the reason behind why candles are lit for the deceased; to raise the neshamah as opposed to raising the guf. Since the neshamah is called “light”, it becomes uplifted when a light is lit for it.

Just as there is a concept of lighting a candle for the soul of the deceased, a person can do so with his own self. How? By focusing one’s vision on a lit candle, a person awakens and reveals the light that is in his soul. One’s soul, and the flame that he sees, are of the ‘same type’ – and when two of the ‘same type’ meet each other, they are delighted.

(We will mention here briefly that there is also an avodah even deeper than this: sitting in the dark. With the help of Hashem, we will soon explain this. Although darkness is usually associated with negativity, there is a way to use darkness for holiness, and this is called “higher” darkness. However, right now we will not discuss this. Here, we are discussing how to reveal the neshamah through means of light, not through darkness.)

The avodah we are currently discussing is that one focuses his vision on the flame of a lit candle. This is not accomplished by merely sitting in a room surrounded by candles. It is rather to look deeply into the flame of the candle. It is an act of bonding of the soul - and it is an experience that cannot be described in words.

One of the Chassidic Rebbes of Chabad said, “Chanukah lights can talk.” When someone connects in his soul to the light of a lit candle, his soul can feel the flickering of the flame. This is only experienced if a person really connects to it in an inward way.

Any person can gain from looking at a flame, each to his own level; it can awaken a person to have a degree of revelation of his soul. The advantage of this avodah, as was explained, is that it serves as a tool to reveal one’s soul, for the body is “dark” and the soul is “light”, thus, looking at light can free the soul from the “dark” veil that is upon it.

Although we are dealing with a physical flame, there is something about a flame on a candle that inspires one to the spiritual. We see this from the fact that there is a minhag that a candle is lit for the deceased to uplift their neshamah. It is because when we see a flame, we can be reminded of the higher and spiritual dimensions. As Chazal say: “Know Who is above you.”[2] The depth of this is that even what we do here down below on this physical earth can have an effect on the spiritual dimension that is above us. Focusing your vision on the flame of a candle is one of the ways to awaken the revelation of the soul.

As for sitting in a room full of candles, this can also be effective, but the drawback to it is that it does not allow for as much focus, being that all the flames of the candles are bunched together.

Now that we have explained the advantage of looking at a flame, we will now explain what the disadvantage is. As we mentioned earlier, the soul can only be revealed when we look at something unlimited, something with no measurements. A candle can be fully contained in the scope of your vision, so we do not have the gain here of seeing something unlimited.

Perhaps we can say that although the candle is limited, the flame is unlimited, being that it can provide an endless amount of flames when we touch it with another candle. If so, it would seem that looking at a flame is like looking at something unlimited. But although we are aware of that, our physical vision cannot see this, so a flame is therefore not a good example of seeing the unlimited.

Until now, we explained that this avodah applies to seeing a lit candle, but it can also apply even to seeing an electric light. It is much more recommended to look at a candle (which is a natural flame) than to see man-made fire, which is electricity, but even electricity can have some kind of spiritual effect when you look at it [because it is also a form of light].

For example, when you walk into a well-lit wedding hall, you are able to experience some kind of inspiration, and this can serve to awaken your soul’s inner light. Although electric lights are physical (and although the person who owns the hall only put the lights there so he can make money), the fact that there is a plethora of light in the room can provide a spiritual effect. When you’re in a room with a lot of light, this is something that can help you get started in conceptualizing the light of your soul.

Each method of expanding spiritual vision has an advantage that the other does not have. A lone candle in a room is a deeper kind of light that you see, because it is natural, and the natural flickering of the flame is more conducive for inspiring the soul. Electric lights do not have this advantage. But when there are a lot of electric lights in a room, there is an advantage of having a lot of light – and in fact, this can provide an even deeper effect than a natural candle.

So if you find yourself in a room that is very brightly lit, and if you have the perseverance to work on this, you can take the opportunity to use the brightness and remind yourself of the soul, that it is beginning to light up within you.

Let us use the following analogy to help understand this a bit better. If we want to create an opening in a wall, there are two steps. First we need to make a small hole, and then we widen the gap. Making the first small hole is always the harder part. After we have made some crack in the wall and we now want to widen it, the work becomes much easier.

In the same vein, some of the ways of avodah which we are mentioning here are relatively easier to work upon, because there is a “crack” that has already been made, and it is not the first time that a person will be trying to make the opening. That is why if a person has not yet opened his sense of spiritual sight, he will not feel anything when he stares into a flame or at many lights in a room. But if there is already some small “crack” – if the sense of spiritual sight has been opened at least a little, the work is then much easier, because all a person needs to do is expand it further. Such a person will be able to gain from viewing a plethora of light in a room.

6. Expanded Vision: Looking At The Name of Havayah

There is another kind of avodah that involves our sense of sight, mentioned in the name of the Arizal, and also mentioned in the beginning of Shulchan Aruch: to visualize the shem havayah, the four-letter Name of Hashem. There are two general ways to visualize it (and many more specific approaches, but here we will only explain the two general ways).

1)Focusing The Vision On The Name of Havayah – A person can simply visualize the name of havayah by seeing it written in a sefer Torah scroll, or in any sefer (and it must look like the way it is written in a sefer Torah scroll, which is called ksav ashuris), by focusing his vision on the word havayah in front of him.

Looking at the name of havayah is a very deep matter. Hashem created the universe using His holy Names, and these include the ten general names of Hashem which may not be erased, as well as all the other names that branch out from these. The root of all names of Hashem is the name of havayah. Therefore, looking at name of havayah is like looking at the root of Creation, which is the deepest possible thing to view. (Higher than this form of avodah is to look at the end point of the letter yud).

Visualizing the name of havayah is much a deeper kind of vision than other names of Hashem such as Elokim and the name of adnus. Picturing the name of havayah can be helpful to reveal the actual root. Through focusing the vision on Hashem’s name of havayah, a person can penetrate into his own havayah (essence), and after that, to the havayah of the Creator.

2) Mental Cognizance of the Name of Havayah. Above, we discussed seeing the name of havayah on a piece of paper, blank ink upon a white background, as it appears in the sefer Torah; it may be seen in any sefer as well. But there is also another way to picture the name of havayah: when it is being shined within. A person may be cognizant of the name of havayah in front of him, either because he has reached this from inner understanding, where the name of havayah is always in front of him; or, because he has revealed the essence of his soul, so that the name of havayah is always being illuminated before him.

This concept is described in the words of the Arizal, mentioned in Mishnah Berurah: “One who wishes to examine if his soul is perfected, should close his eyes; if the name of havayah rises in front of his eyes, this is proof that his soul is perfected, and if only part of the letters rise, it is a sign that they cannot rise for they are damaged.” That is how a person can discover, generally, what he needs to rectify. If no letters appear, it is a sign that he is far from rectification.

Another way of how one can become cognizant of the name of havayah is through imagining it vividly. This does not mean that the person has actually reached the level in which the name of havayah is shining in front of him, though.

The Advantages and Disadvantages In All of the Above Practices

Picturing the name of havayah contains two advantages in developing our spiritual vision. Firstly, since it is a form of heavenly illumination, it contains the same advantage of viewing light. Secondly, since it is the main name of Hashem, it is the deepest view of havayah, and therefore it can reveal one’s own havayah (essence). One who is cognizant of the name of havayah in front of him is shining his own inner light, and in addition to this gain, he also gains from the “light” of the name of havayah. In contrast, looking at a flame cannot lead to a revelation of havayah.

However, there is a drawback to this avodah as well. The name of havayah is ultimately limited, because if it can be pictured, it is limited to that form. In this regard, looking at the sky is more advantageous, because it is a limitless kind of view. Both of these visual practices, picturing the name of havayah and looking at the sky, are mentioned in the works of the Arizal as tools that can lead to inner understanding. We have explained the pros and cons to each of these practices, and why one practice is not necessarily more advantageous than the other, and vice versa.

7. Expanded Vision: Looking At The Face of a Tzaddik

In addition to the above methods, there are also other ways to develop spiritual sight. One of the fundamentals of Chassidus is to see the face of a tzaddik (righteous, saintly Jew). There are deep matters contained in this concept, and we will try here to at least scratch the surface.

It is written, “And G-d created man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him.”[3] When Hashem created man, He created him in a perfect image, the “tzelem elokim”, a resemblance of Heaven. When man sins, he damages his tzelem elokim. The Torah writes, “And all the nations of the world will see that the name of Hashem is written upon you, and they will be afraid from you.”[4] It is explained in our Sages, and in the sefarim hakedoshim at length, that when a person is untainted with sin, this tzelem elokim dwells on his face, and others who see his countenance are afraid of him (with some exceptions to this rule). When a person sins, this tzelem elokim is removed from him. The Nefesh HaChaim says that even when a person thinks of sinning, his soul leaves him, because the parts of the soul are really connected with this tzelemelokim. When one’s deeds are perfected and he has a heart that can receive the presence of the Shechinah[5], he can become a container that can hold the tzelemelokim, and he can contain the light of the “image of G-d” in himself, as it were.

A tzaddik guards himself from sin, he is connected to the light of the Infinite, and therefore the tzelem elokim can shine upon him. “The wisdom of man illuminates his face”[6], and this “wisdom” refers to the root of one’s vitality, as it is written, “Wisdom sustains its owner.”[7] When there is a revelation of spiritual vitality, as it is with a tzaddik, this illuminates his face. (There is also a more inner level than this, the Yechidah, which does not become revealed on the face, because it remains hidden deep in the heart, and it cannot even be seen on the face of a tzaddik.)

Thus, looking at the face of a tzaddik is a way of seeing the soul in its purity. Although a tzaddik is ultimately a human being with a physical body and with physical needs (as Rebbe Nachman of Bresslov pointed out, that people erroneously think that a tzaddik is an angelic being with no physical body, and this isn’t true, for we see that Moshe Rabbeinu ate, drank and slept), a true tzaddik has attained a revelation of his neshamah that is apparent.

On a superficial level, looking at a tzaddik is very spiritual because a person “receives the light” of the tzaddik’s soul, by looking at the tzaddik’s face. But the depth behind it is because looking at the tzaddik’s face awakens the viewer’s own soul. Just as the tzaddik has reached and revealed his own soul and it shines on his face, so can the one who views him attain a revelation of the soul; through “seeing the soul” of the tzaddik (through the means of viewing the tzaddik’s face), the viewer’s own soul can be revealed. The amount of inspiration that a person gets when looking at a tzaddik depends on how deep the connection the person has with the tzaddik.

Thus, seeing a tzaddik is actually a way to reveal one’s own soul. If a person takes a picture of a tzaddik and he concentrates on it for a long time, focusing strongly on it and connecting to the picture of the tzaddik through his soul, he can reach very high levels of understanding. This is because the revelation of a tzaddik’s soul is more apparent, and one who views the tzaddik’s face in an inner way can awaken his own soul, and in turn, he can then reveal it.

The depth of this matter really cannot be explained. In addition, all of the ways of avodah which we are explaining here are based on an inner perspective, which cannot be expressed fully in any words.

We have so far explained the gains of looking at the face of a tzaddik, and now we will examine the drawbacks of this practice.

There is a big danger to practicing this avodah of seeing a tzaddik, in that a person may turn this into a purpose unto itself, without connecting it to a greater goal. As we mentioned earlier, the need to reveal the soul is only a means to a greater end, and it is not for its own purpose. We should only be trying to access our soul for one reason: we need to reveal our connection with our Creator. The purpose of life is to become close to Hashem, and that should be the goal in anything we do. If a person can look at a tzaddik’s face and use the spiritual effect of this for the sake of revealing his own soul, this is the commendable approach. But if all he does is connect to the tzaddik and he remains there, he has failed, because he was supposed to remove this “garment” and reveal the Creator there.

Therefore, looking at pictures of tzaddikim requires much understanding, in order to go about this sensibly. One who practices it needs to go about it in appropriate limits, using it as a means to reveal his soul, making sure not to become “caught up” in his soul connection to the tzaddik; after feeling connected to the tzaddik, he must then divest himself of the “garment” (the tzaddik) and in its place, to reveal a connection to the Creator.

There is another problem with this avodah. Even when looking at a tzaddik, a person is not seeing a soul alone, but a soul with a body. Therefore, when looking at the tzaddik, he may become attached in his vision to the physical body and appearance of the tzaddik.

To our great sorrow, we can find many people who, instead of connecting to the souls of tzaddikim, have fallen into an attachment to the physical body of the tzaddik. Although the body of a tzaddik is also holy, and many times the body of a tzaddik is even holier than even the souls of others, even so, a person may entirely lose focus on connecting to the tzaddik’s soul and instead he is mesmerized by the tzaddik’s physical appearance, and he is foregoing the soul connection. A person may spend a lot of time being around a tzaddik, yet he is only involved with the body of the tzaddik, and not with the soul of the tzaddik! That is why connection to tzaddik requires caution, that it should be mainly focused on having a soul connection to the tzaddik, with minimal attention given to the tzaddik’s body.

Another drawback to viewing a tzaddik’s face is that the face is a limited kind of vision, but in order to fully expand the vision of the soul, we need to see something which is unlimited.

Now that we have explained the drawbacks, we will say that there is an advantage, however, of seeing the face of a tzaddik, which outweighs any of the points mentioned until now.

Every person has a soul, and, to give a general description, each soul is mainly rooted in one of the four “worlds”, known as Atzilus (lit. “Emanation” - the highest spiritual root), Beriah (lit. “Creation” - second to highest), Yetzirah (lit. “Formation” - third to highest), and Asiyah (lit. “Action” - lowest). So, for example, if a person has a soul rooted in Yetzirah and he views a tzaddik whose soul is rooted in Asiyah, it is possible that the tzaddik’s soul is less prominent than the soul of the viewer, but the tzaddik has reached his soul, while the viewer hasn’t.

So although the viewer may have a higher soul root, if his soul is concealed from him (because he hasn’t yet reached it), he has what to gain from viewing the tzaddik with the lower soul root, who has a revealed soul. When he views the tzaddik, he may be able to get deeper into himself and reach his soul. But at a later point, if he continues to view the tzaddik, he is lowering his own spiritual level, because the tzaddik’s soul is of a lower soul root than his own.

The same is true vice versa: if the viewer has a soul rooted in Yetzirah and the tzaddik’s soul is rooted in Beriah (a higher realm than Yetzirah), the viewer can gain a deeper level of spiritual light when he sees the tzaddik, because the tzaddik’s soul is from a higher world. Not only will seeing the tzaddik help him reveal his soul; it will even provide him with a deeper soul level.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev stated that although the task of man is to find his own personal tzaddik to connect with, a person must also find the [understanding of the] “general” tzaddik, who includes the level of all tzaddikim. What is the depth of his words?

There are people who feel that they are unable to reach the “general” tzaddik, so they settle for a bond with a tzaddik of lesser stature. But if a person connects to a tzaddik who has a lower soul root than he does, although the tzaddik’s soul is revealed and this places the tzaddik on a higher level than the person, the person can only receive the level of spiritual light that is limited to the tzaddik’s level. In contrast, when a person bonds with the “general” tzaddik, although he cannot contain the light of this tzaddik inside himself, the tzaddik’s light can still have an effect on him, because it can envelope him as an “ohr makif” (“surrounding light”). So, as much as one can, it is worthwhile for him to connect to the highest level of spiritual light that he can receive.

This can be compared to the following analogy. In one tries to view the sun, and he stares at it with his eyes, he will damage his vision. In order to view the sun properly, one needs to see it through glass. The “general” tzaddik, who has a powerful and all-inclusive spiritual light, can be compared to the sun’s light, which one should not view directly. It would seem that one should keep a distance from the general tzaddik and not look at him, so that he should not become harmed by the great amount of this tzaddik’s light. But even when a person is viewing the sun through glasses so that he is not directly viewing the sun, he can still feel the warmth of the sun’s light on him; everyone knows the feeling of a stormy, cloudy day where there is a sudden parting of the clouds and then the sun comes out from behind the clouds, and there is resulting warmth that feels very pleasant.

The lesson of this parable is, that if a person is found within his own “clouds” [his own darkness and spiritual deficiencies], even amidst this murkiness, he can receive a sudden burst of powerful light. Although he cannot view this light directly, he can feel its warmth penetrating into him.

When a person views a tzaddik, if he thinks that he can truly view the tzaddik, this is a mistake. One can only receive a connection to the spiritual light emanating from the tzaddik, and to feel the accompanying “warmth” from it, but he cannot actually view this light. The same is true even when one looks at a tzaddik of lesser stature – when one views the tzaddik, he should not think that he is actually viewing the tzaddik, and he is just receiving some of the tzaddik’s light, according to the level that he can receive.

Therefore, viewing a tzaddik contains a great gain, because it is a means by which a person can receive a spiritual light higher than the level of his own soul [which, in turn, will greatly refine the soul’s senses]. This is in contrast with the other methods mentioned, which enable a person to shine the light of his own soul, but not more than his own soul level.

8. Seeing Through Imagination

There are also other methods of vision which can awaken a person to have a more inner perspective and thereby see deeper into things.

One of the abilities which Hashem has implanted into human beings is the power of imagination (in Hebrew, dimayon). From a superficial understanding, imagination has a negative connotation. But in the writings the Sages in our sefarim hakedoshim, we can see that the Sages made much use with the power of imagination.

A person can “see” things with his mind. Just as a person can see something through his physical eyes, so can he “see” something, in his mind, when he thinks about it. The Hebrew word for in-depth thinking is called iyun, which is related to the word ayin, “eye”, because in-depth thinking is a way of seeing things. There is physical vision, and there is spiritual vision. Spiritual vision, on its lowest and most basic level, is to view from the seichel\mind, which is directly ‘underneath’ the neshamah (soul), and the more inner use of this power is to view from the neshamah.

Viewing from the mind can be done in two different ways. It can be viewed from the intellectual compartment in the mind known as the seichel, or, it can be viewed through the faculty of the imagination. In other words, you may see something intellectually, or you may see something in the imaginative sense.

Seeing intellectually is accomplished through logical thinking, or through just seeing reality objectively as it is; through an understanding of something. Seeing through the imagination is a way to view something which is not directly in front of you, or to view something which is not here, or to view something which does not exist at all (and in spite of its nonexistence, a person can still visualize it in his mind, through the use of the imagination).

Viewing through the imagination, though, is a matter that requires caution. As we know, becoming an ‘imaginative person’ does not have a good connotation. Imagination is positive and constructive as long as a person recognizes that he is using only his imagination, and that it is not reality. One must make sure that he isn’t mixing reality into his imagination.

The falsity within the imagination is when reality becomes mixed with imagination [when a person thinks that what he imagines is part of the reality]. That is the mistake that people make with imagination. A person should think of imagination and reality as being two separate domains. To illustrate, in the laws of Shabbos, there are four kinds of domains. In the same vein, there is a domain of the intellect, which is its own class, and there is a domain called the imagination, and these two domains stand separate from each other, never to be intertwined.

Altogether, we mentioned three kinds of vision. There is physical vision, intellectual vision, and imaginative vision. If imagination becomes mixed with intellectual vision or with physical vision, there is a danger that the person will, G-d forbid, enter so deep into his imagination that he may become carried away with it. We all have fantasies, but as long as this stays within the relatively normal bounds, it will not lead to delusions.

When one makes use of his imagination, he must be clear that he is using an ability which is only proper if it stays within the proper boundaries of the imagination, that it should not become mixed with intellectual vision and physical vision. If a person ignores this rule, he is treading a path that will lead to total failure. So before we make use of the ability to “see” from the imagination, it is first necessary for a person to understand the proper bounds which the imagination must stay in. Imagination is proper as long as I recognize that it is only in my imagination, and not the reality.

We can use an analogy for this, though the lesson is not quite the same as the parable. A person receives a note from the bank that he has 67,000 shekel to collect when he receives his pension. Excited, he runs to the bank, swipes his credit card, and tries to withdraw the amount of 67,000 shekel. It doesn’t go through. He asks the teller why it’s not working, when the bank had sent him a letter that he has 67,000 shekel waiting for him. They tell him, “That doesn’t take effect now. It will not take effect until 30 years from now.” He wonders to himself: “So what I am working for now, if I anyways cannot get the 67,000 shekel yet?” The simple answer to this is because if he doesn’t work now, he won’t get the pension in 30 years later. The money exists and it is supposed to go to him, but he cannot use it right now. In other words, just because something exists, that doesn’t mean we can use it right now. There are some things which we do not use at all, and there are some things which we will only make use of later.

Whenever we make use of the imagination, if we use it within its proper bounds and in the right place, it is positive. But if we mix intellectual vision or physical vision into it, we are losing its proper design.

Man is called “adam” in Hebrew, which is from the word dimayon\imagination, and also from the word adameh, “I will imagine.” (There are also additional connotations to the word “adameh”, but we will not get into this now). Man is meant to use the power of imagination, for there is nothing in Creation that is negative in essence, as is well-known; we just have to direct each ability for a positive use, and it will bear positive results.

Only when we misuse an ability does it lead to negative results. So if we use the imagination in its proper place, limiting it to the bounds of the imagination and recognizing it as such, there is then much we can gain from the imagination.

The same is true vice versa – if a person does not properly limit his imagination, his imagination will become destructive. That is why we are emphasizing that the imagination must be used with caution. Many have erred by misusing the imagination, leading to disastrous results. There have been many people who started to use the imagination for holy purposes, but they ended with an imagination that was totally delusional.

Using the imagination is a kind of vision; a person “sees” things through his imaginative faculty. Consider dreams, for example. We all have dreams when we go to sleep at night. As is well-known, dreams at night come from the imaginative faculty. What we see in our dreams does not exist in reality (except for a few individuals who merit to see reality in their dreams, which is not the case with most people, whose dreams come from the imagination). Does a person see tangible things in a dream? Yes, he sees tangible objects, but it’s only in his imagination. Even during the daytime a person may dream, whenever he fantasizes and he uses the power of imagination, where he is seeing something through his imagination.

We mentioned this earlier, when we discussed the method of viewing the name of havayah, in which a person may imagine the four-letter name of havayah. We mentioned two ways of viewing the name of havayah. One way is when a person reaches a state of mind where he is always cognizant of the name of havayah in front of his eyes; this is reached through self-purification, which shines the light of the soul. The other way to view the name of havayah is to imagine it.

When a person imagines the name of havayah, this is usually a very contained and limited kind of imagination, because he is only imagining four letters, so there is not that much of a concern that he will start taking his imagination too far. (There are opinions who did not approve of imagining the name of havayah, and their reasoning is that if one is not really at that level where it comes from within, he should not try to attain it through the outside, via the means of imagination. However, most opinions encouraged this practice of imagining the name of havayah.)

That is one use of imagination. The sefarim hakedoshim take the power of imagination further. The sefarim of Rav Kolonomis Kalman Shapira, which include Chovos HaTalmidim, Hachsharas Avreichim, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, and other sefarim, are entirely based on using the soul’s power of imagination. These methods include: Imagining that you are found in Heaven, imagining that you are singing with the angels, and imagining that you are standing in the Beis HaMikdash. These “sights” are all being viewed through the imagination, and they all spiritual uses of the power of vision.

The greatest advantage that can be gained from using the power of imagination is because it gives a person a picture of something great and holy which he isn’t able to [tangibly] connect to. The soul is hidden from a person, and it is only the physical body which is revealed; a person may want to awaken his inner forces of holiness, but his soul is concealed from him, so he may use the imagination to imagine things that are holy, which can awaken him to feel those realities.

For example, when a person strongly and vividly imagines that he is standing in the Beis HaMikdash, he can gain great holiness from this. One cannot go to the Beis HaMikdash today with his actual physical body, both because of our ritual impurity and also because the Beis HaMikdash is absent; but by imagining vividly that one is standing in it, or by learning Maseches Middos which discusses the laws of the Beis HaMikdash, one can get a tangible picture of the Beis HaMikdash and thereby draw its holiness onto him.

However, when most people use their imagination, their thoughts become jumpy, and with each passing moment, they are imagining about something else. So in order for a person to use the imagination properly as a way to enhance his power of spiritual vision, he needs to clean out his imagination from any impurities. His imagination needs to be a little sifted out, if he is to use it to concentrate and focus on a certain thing.

Imagination is used to “see” something which doesn’t exist right now, or even if it never existed before, and perhaps even if it will never exist at all. It is a spiritual use of the sense of vision, which can awaken the soul.

To give a general description, imagination divides into three types [of how it can be used for holiness].

8a) Imagining Something Holy In The Physical Realm.

The first use of [holy] imagination is to vividly picture, through the imagination, anything that is holy. It can be an imagination of something physical that is on this world, which contains holiness.

One example of this is to imagine what the Beis HaMikdash looked like. (Although we did not actually see the Beis HaMikdash, it exists on a conceptual level, in our souls. This is because the physical Beis HaMikdash was made from the four physical elements of this world, and the soul also contains the four elements).

Another example is to imagine the lights of the Chanukah Menorah. (This does not have to be done on Chanukah specifically, because any time that a person imagines the lights of the Menorah, it increases a light upon his soul).

8b) Imagining The Spiritual or Heavenly.

A second kind of imagination is when a person imagines the spiritual. There is both an advantage, as well as a disadvantage, to this kind of imagination (in contrast to the first way of imagining).

The gain of imagining the spiritual, as opposed to imagining holy physical places and objects that are\were on this physical world, is that it is a connection to a higher realm than our world, which is composed of the four physical elements. [The spiritual realm is above the four physical elements and therefore when one imagines it, he is connected to a higher realm.] The drawback, however, is that there is a great danger when imagining the spiritual.

As an example, we mentioned earlier a method of imagination explained in sefer Chovos HaTalmidim and Hachsharas Avreichim, in which a person imagines that he is in Heaven and singing with the angels. The danger of imagining this is that a person has not actually been to Heaven. Although his soul was there, his body was not, and since he is not consciously aware that his soul has been there, he does not have even an inkling of a perception of the upper realms.

It is forbidden for a person to do hagshamah, to “materialize” or give any physical form to Hashem, but this prohibition does not include giving physical form to the angels; however, even though it is not expressly forbidden to give physical form to the angels, our main problem with this is that the person is trying to imagine something which he does not recognize, and he will try to picture the angels with what he is familiar with from the physical world. There are artists today who draw “pictures” of angels, or how a “Heavenly voice” looks, and the like, trying to give material form to the spiritual.

What does a picture of the spiritual really look like? It is like an internal sound which rings within (This is a broad matter, which requires explanation. With the help of Hashem, we will explain it later).

If a person imagines anything heavenly or spiritual in the form of something physical – which includes any of the four physical elements of this world – it is impossible to say that there is no gain to this, but it is very problematic, because he is giving material form to everything, even to the spiritual. He is bringing everything down to his level of understanding things.

In summation, using the imagination singing with the angels, and anything else heavenly, contains both a gain as well as a drawback. The gain of it is that it gives a person a picture of something that is above the material world. The drawback to it is that a person is imagining something he doesn’t recognize, and this may lead to giving material form to the spiritual, chas v’shalom.

8c) Imagining An Ascension Through All The Heavenly Realms.

A third use of imagining the spiritual is mentioned in the end of sefer Shaarei Kedushah of Rav Chaim Vital, which describes how man can attain self-purification, through learning Torah and keeping the mitzvos, along with rectifying the character traits. After working through these levels, Rav Chaim Vital explains how man can ascend to the higher worlds [these are the four realms of Asiyah, Yetzirah, Beriah and Atzilus], one after the other.

How can a person know of the higher worlds? If a person has already attained the sense of spiritual vision, he does not require this guidance. But if a person does not have spiritual vision, he can only know of the higher worlds by learning the holy sefarim which describe these worlds and their structure, and how to ascend from each world to the next, and what the order is.

In that way, he can ascend from one realm to another, using his very power of thought. Ascending from one realm to another, through the power of thought, may either be a non-visual kind of thought, or, it may be in the form of imagination. A person may think about it in an abstract way that does not involve any mental visualization. He fixes in his mind that there is a reality of ascending from one world to another, and he thinks simply: “I am ascending to that world”, and the like. Alternatively, he may imagine it. He may picture in his mind what each of the realms look like, what their structure is, and how to ascend from each world to the next.

This avodah, of imagining oneself ascending to the higher realms, is a risky path, which many have stumbled in. The first reason for the errors that people make with this path is due to the reason mentioned earlier, that since no one has ever seen the heavenly realms, one is apt to give material form to these realms, trying to imagine the spiritual with a physical understanding. Instead of rising to the spiritual realms, people who take this path often fall lower, by falling into the problem of giving material form to the spiritual.

An additional reason why it often fails is because it is a very subtle avodah. Imagining the higher realms is often more subtle than imagining the song of the angels, because in addition to trying to imagine the spiritual, the person doing this also needs to imagine himself ascending from each realm to the next, and this can lead him into fantasies. He might become totally delusional from all of this imagining. Sometimes a person can receive inner spiritual light from imagining this ascension, but generally speaking, it is not recommended to enter into this kind of avodah (unless a person has attained a great amount of internal self-purification).

That being the case, we will not elaborate upon this form of avodah, because it will just entice people to enter into this when they do not qualify for it, and there is a great danger in it. We mentioned this avodah only because it is part of the general structure that exists. We know that there are not a few people who have involved themselves in this kind of avodah - and some of them became simply insane from it. As for the ones who didn’t - they still became very disconnected from reality. They did not discover the revelations they were looking for, and instead of becoming connected to the higher realms, they became disconnected from reality.

Therefore, we should stay away from this path of avodah and instead look for a more solidly grounded approach.

9. Seeing White and Colorless

Let’s continue with the path here, with some other methods of how we can awaken the soul via the sense of sight.

Hashem has created many different colors in Creation. We have a tradition that there are four root colors, parallel to the four letters Hashem’s name of havayah. The sefarim hakedoshim write that these colors are: white, red, green and blue. (Although the scientists will say that this is not precise, we are stating here the words of our trustworthy Sages, who are more reliable to us than any of the scientists.)

The darker colors of red and blue are the more “materialistic” colors, closer to our physical, material realm which is known as “Yeish” [lit. “Material”], whereas the lighter colors are more subtle, so they are closer to the spiritual realm known as “Ayin” [lit. “nothingness”, the negation and absence of anything material]. The lighter the color, the more suitable it is to help bring a person closer to the spiritual.

If we take a look at the four main colors – white, red, green, and blue – it is clear to us right away that the color closest to the spiritual is: white. Therefore, looking at the color white is the best color to assist us in reaching the spiritual.

It is written, “If your sins are like scarlet, they will become white as snow; if they have become red as crimson, they will become white as wool.” [8] The prophet is correlating sin with the color red, whereas atonement from sin is being associated with the color white. What is the connection?

Sin originates in the body, so “whitening” the sins is essentially a removal of the body’s hold, which in turn reveals the soul. Sins cause the body’s hold to become stronger, making the body dominate. Man is called adam, from the word edom, “red”, and there is a verse, “For the blood is the life”[9][implying that the red color of blood is associated with man’s physicality]. Since this is so, any color which is closer to red and to a darker hue - which includes all of the colors, on a general scale - is largely associated with the body’s physicality. In contrast to this, the soul is more associated with the color white. When there is atonement from sin, the sins are “whitened”.

Anyone who has been in the presence of especially holy tzaddikim will notice that there is often a white tablecloth that is always on the table in front of them. It is our custom to have white tablecloth only on Shabbos. (In our times, people have changed the style to include other colors in the Shabbos tablecloth, because they think it looks nicer that way. But according to the tradition that we received from our fathers, the custom was always to honor the Shabbos with white tablecloth). What is the depth behind the white tablecloth that we spread out for Shabbos?

The six days of the week represent the physical body, while the holy day of Shabbos is called the “day of the neshamah”. To reveal Shabbos, we reveal the neshamah.

We already mentioned earlier that one of the ways to reveal the neshamah is through looking into a flame. For this reason, we light candles in honor of Shabbos, which is symbolic of the revelation of the neshamah that is revealed through Shabbos. When we are separated from our neshamah on Motzei Shabbos, this also happens through a flame: the flame of the havdalah candle. Spreading the white tablecloth in honor of Shabbos is also an expression of this revelation of the neshamah that is on Shabbos.

Every custom in the Jewish people is holy, as the Sages state, “The Jewish people, even if they are not prophets, are the sons of prophets.”[10] The root of the custom to spread white tablecloth for Shabbos is because Shabbos is “day of the neshamah”, it is the day when we receive an “extra soul” (neshamah yesairah), which essentially means that there is a revelation of the neshamah that is found on our holy day of Shabbos.

Thus, seeing the color white can be expansive for the soul. It can help a person leave behind the material, physical dimension and identify more with the spiritual. However, this can only be beneficial for one who has already opened a ‘crack’ in himself for spiritual vision. If a person hasn’t yet opened this ‘crack’, seeing the color white will not help to do it. As we can see, many people sit in front of a white tablecloth on Shabbos and they don’t feel a thing from it.

Within the color white, we have the white color itself, and there is also a subtler version of the color white: colorless, which is transparent. The four general colors of white, red, green and blue are parallel to the four letters in the name of havayah. But in the name of havayah, we can also find a ‘fifth’ aspect: the end point of the letter yud (known as “kutzo shel yud”). This is representative of the spiritual realm that is known as ayin, “nothingness”. In terms of color, ayin is represented by colorless. Transparent colorlessness is above the four colors.

The color white is the closest color to transparent colorless. This is apparent from the fact that when we place any of the colors on top of white, we can see the color standing on its own, stark against the white background; whereas if we place any of the colors on top of all other colors besides for white, the colors mix and they become different shades. An example of seeing the colorless color of ayin\nothingnesswould be to look at a wide, vast amount of space.

This is very unlike any of the other visuals we dealt with until now. Up until this point, we have explained various methods that expand the spiritual sense of vision, which all involved viewing physical, tangible matter – Yeish. Examples included gazing at the sky, sea, a flame, the face of a tzaddik, and the color white. These are all tangible sights. Even imagination feels tangible. But within this world of tangible sights which we can picture, there exists a picture of something we cannot see: when we view something clear and transparent.

(We are only mentioning this here briefly, once we are on the subject of the ‘fifth color’ - colorless. We will elaborate more upon this subject [of viewing transparent ‘nothingness’] later, with the help of Hashem.)

Thus, the most spiritual kind of sight we can view within this material realm (Yeish) is to view the color white. But there is a higher and deeper perspective that can be gained when we view the subtler form of white: transparent colorless. Therefore, viewing something transparent is a deeper kind of vision.

10. Seeing Beauty and Extravagance

Another method which can awaken the neshamah is by viewing beauty. This is reflected in the verse, “Beauty and splendor before Him, strength and glory in His temple”,[11] and also the verse, “Splendor and beauty You donned.”[12]

There is a halachah that a king of the Jewish people, as well as the Kohen Gadol[13], must be wealthy. The Gemara says regarding a Kohen Gadol, “He must be greater than his brothers (others) in strength, beauty, wisdom, and wealth.”[14] Regarding a king of the Jewish people, the Rambam codifies that the Torah apportions him certain monetary rights over the nation, and this is so that king should remain wealthy.[15]

It is clear that if the Torah requires the Jewish king and Kohen Gadol to be wealthy, this is not something external and superficial, nor is it to ensure that the king of Kohen Gadol will always have what to eat. It is not a form of charity to ensure that he won’t become a pauper. Rather, there is a deeper point here. It is a ruling of the Torah that the king and Kohen Gadol be made wealthy.

What is the depth of this matter? We find that Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, who was the leader of the Jewish people in his time, who merited the title of Rebbi HaKadosh (lit. “the holy rabbi”), was fabulously wealthy. The Gemara says that the finest and most expensive delicacies never left his table, whether it was summer or winter.[16] He is the same “Rebbi” of whom Chazal say that he merited “two tables” – two worlds[17] [This World, and the Next World]. He is the same Rebbi who composed the holy Mishnah, which has the same letters as the word “neshamah.” There are early commentators who say that if Rebbi wouldn’t have had such enormous wealth, he would not have been able to compose the Mishnah (a reference to the neshamah).

From a simple perspective, there seems to be no connection between Rebbi’s wealth and his ability to compose the Mishnah. Just because he always had radishes on his table no matter the season, he merited to compose the Mishnah?! What is the connection?

But the answer to this is that wealth can be used as an ability of the soul. Let us explain how.

The body, by its very design, is deficient and lacking. The soul, in contrast, is perfect and complete, and it lacks for nothing. In This World which we are found in, we are in a deficient dimension, where we must keep completing ourselves and filling what we lack. The very fact that a person identifies with what he lacks, is exactly what causes man to identify more with his body, rather than with his soul.

When a person has wealth – whether the wealth is “internal” [i.e. an awareness of the royal status of a Jewish soul, which is a child of Hashem], or even it is external – there can be a revelation of the neshamah. Of course, if a person only has external wealth and he does not use it to awaken the “wealth” in his own soul, he will not uncover his soul just by being wealthy, as we can see plainly from many wealthy people in the world, who have nothing in their lives except a desire to have more money. Yet, if a person’s wealth is only “internal” and he does not possess external wealth, it will be difficult for a person to penetrate the barriers of the body [because he doesn’t have the tool of external wealth to awaken his own ‘internal’ wealth].

Of course, it is possible for a person to get through to the neshamah through a ‘crack’ in the physical body’s senses which would enable him to get there, even without possessing external wealth, and clearly, there were many tzaddikim and holy individuals who did not have wealth and yet they had revelation of their neshamah. But we are saying that there is also a way for one’s internal power of wealth to combine with external wealth, which can lead to a revelation of the neshamah.

When the eyes lay sight on something that bespeaks poverty and something lacking, on one hand, there is a spiritual gain to this, and on the other hand, there is a drawback.

The gain of it is because Chazal say, “This is the way of Torah: Eat bread dipped in salt, water in a cistern, and on the ground, sleep.”[18] It seems that physical wealth is materialistic, and that all it does is awaken the physicality of the body; and the above statement of Chazal indeed seems to imply that an increase of materialism is a negative thing.

However, the drawback to viewing poverty is because one is depriving himself of the gain of viewing wealth. And what is the gain of viewing wealth? There are situations in which viewing wealth, extravagance and beauty can assist in revealing the neshamah. In those situations, if the eyes lay sight on poverty or anything deficient, there can be a detriment to the soul.

What is the positive side to wealth? If a person’s soul is already somewhat activated but it is being prevented by the body from becoming more revealed, and one wants very much to break past the barriers of the body, one of the tools that can accomplish this is wealth. And if a person’s soul is already revealed and now he wants to prevent the body from getting in the soul’s way, there is a concept of staying away from viewing anything that bespeaks poverty, lack, and deficiency.

Therefore, revealing the soul through wealth is clearly not about having a big bank account, where the wealth isn’t actually being viewed. It is rather about living a kind of life in which a person lives in the wealth, where his eyes are only seeing beauty and extravagance [thereby awakening the perfection of the neshamah which lacks for nothing].

Regarding this point, perhaps we can make a differentiation between two different kinds of avodah throughout the generations which were practiced by tzaddikim. There were some tzaddikim who would dwell in homes of abject poverty, and they would deliberately choose to sit in dark and decrepit places, all the while reminding themselves of the inner perspective that This World is only temporary, and knowing that their true dwelling place is in the Next World. In contrast to this, we find another kind of avodah of tzaddikim which appeared later, with the way of life of [some of the] holy Chassidic Rebbes, which actually has its source in earlier generations, and which had already been mentioned in the works of the first kabbalists: to dwell in beautiful, majestic homes.

For example, Reb Yisrael of Rizhin lived in a palace-like home. Some members of government there were opposed to the royalty being attributed to the Rebbe of Rizhin, because they felt as if his chassidim where making him into a king, and they feared that they were trying to replace the czar’s government, for their Rebbe lived in a place that was no less beautiful than the czar’s.

Living in wealth and opulence is actually a deep form of avodah, which needs to be understood. Taking this point further, the Rebbe of Rizhin would also take expensive golden rings and play with them. There is actually greater depth to this matter than any of the points we discussed until now, but right now we only discussing the external aspect of it.

If a person is dominated by his physical body and he then connects to wealth, this will greatly prevent him from accessing the spiritual. For such a person, wealth and extravagance will only further awaken the physicality of the body. Wealth is one of the greatest forms of materialism on this world. There is the desire for food, and there are other physical desires as well, and there is another kind of desire, the desire for wealth. If a person pursues a desire for wealth, it is a totally negative trait. But when a person has a revealed soul and he recognizes the “wealth” of his own soul, his body may prevent this revelation, and in his case, there is a gain to viewing wealth.

The soul only sees pure spirituality; it can only see that which is perfect and which lacks for nothing. It can only see true beauty, which is in the heavenly realms. But it is clothed by the body, and therefore it can lay sight on deficient things, such as a broken table, a dirty wall, a dirty floor, dark alleyways [anything dirty or dark], which darkens the soul.

There are two possibilities of how to prevent the body from getting in the way of the soul. One possibility is, “An earthenware vessel, when it is broken, is purified” – to break the body’s hold, which in turn allows for the revelation of the soul. This is essentially the path of “Eat bread in salt, etc.”, in which a person nullifies the body and lives with his soul. But there is also a different way of avodah, parallel to hamtakah, “sweetening”, in which the body’s physicality becomes rectified, rather than being subjugated. In this path, the avodah is to elevate and rectify the body; to reveal the soul’s light onto the body.

Part of this revelation includes revealing the soul’s “wealth” onto the body. But it is impossible to do this directly from the internal “wealth” found in the soul, for the body still remains a body even after the soul’s wealth is uncovered. Therefore, we may use a physical, bodily “tool” that can help reveal the soul’s wealth onto the body: by means of viewing external wealth [which awakens the “wealth” of the soul].

Let us repeat and emphasize that this avodah is only applicable for someone who has already revealed somewhat the light of the soul. If one hasn’t yet merited to reveal the light of the soul and he becomes involved with physical and external wealth, he will fall completely into the lust for money and wealth. And even for one who has already merited to reach the light of the soul, it is still a path that contains a great spiritual risk and danger. Let us explain why.

When a person is involved with the spiritual, this awakens his soul and strengthens its influence. But if we are using a physical and materialistic means such as wealth in order to gain something inner and spiritual, this requires a very subtle balance, because in one moment, a person may have an abysmal spiritual descent.

Using wealth for spiritual purposes is therefore like “walking on the mouth of the tehom (the lowest depths of the earth)”. Although external wealth can awaken the inner wealth that is found in the soul, the danger here is that a person will connect with the materialism that is found in wealth, and it will become simply a desire for extravagance. Not only won’t he access the soul; he will weaken it. This is because the body and soul are like two jealous co-wives to each other, as the Chovos HaLevovos writes. If an increase of physical wealth and extravagance leads to an increase of a lust for money and wealth, all it does is strengthen the body’s hold on a person, and this in turn weakens the soul.

Therefore, the avodah of living in wealth is a very dangerous kind of avodah. It is dangerous because on one hand, a person can be using it in an elevated manner which can cause him to grow spiritually, but on the other hand, it can bring him down entirely.

We can see often that there are tzaddikim who live in beautiful, palace-like homes, who possess great monetary wealth, and we do not understand why they live such lifestyles, and we wonder why it is this way. There are all kinds of mixed reactions. Groups of people come to oppose and attack it, as they always do. Others seek the benefit of the doubt and they will say, “But he gives a lot of tzedakah.” But if they find out that all of the money is going to the tzaddik and it is not being given away, what then can they say? “There are other things to talk about in the streets….” But, of this kind of situation, the Kamarna Rebbe said: “Do not judge the heart of the king of Yisrael, for you do not know what is in his heart.”

What is the ‘heart of the king’? It is referring to a person whose soul has been revealed, of whom Chazal say that the “children of Yisrael are called princes (sons of the King)”[19]. Most Jews, however, are not aware of this royal status (malchus) that is in their own souls, and in the best scenarios, they are like “servants” of the king [who are committed to doing Hashem’s will], unaware that they have the princely status of being “sons of the King” (and we hope that they are not being servants of servants, meaning that that they do not serve materialism, but that they serve the Creator). Therefore, as mentioned above, there is a concept of revealing our princely status, the “king” that is within us, which is the power of malchus\royalty in our souls - through using physical wealth as a means to awaken the internal royalty in our souls.

We will reflect a bit more into this matter. Of Moshe Rabbeinu, it was said, “A trustworthy servant You called him.” On one hand, Moshe is called the eved Hashem, “servant” of Hashem. On the other hand, Moshe Rabbeinu also had the status of a king. The Gemara also says that Moshe Rabbeinu became wealthy from the sapphire stones of the Luchos (tablets).[20] For what did Moshe Rabbeinu need this wealth for? Did he lack for anything when he was in the desert? He did not lack food, for the manna fell every day. He did not lack clothing, for the Clouds of Glory fixed all clothing. What did Moshe Rabbeinu need all this wealth for, and furthermore, why would he need it if he is going to live in the desert for forty years? From a simple, superficial perspective, this appears to be a desire for wealth. Why did Moshe need it?

There is also an additional question regarding this matter. Let us think for a moment: Why did Chazal have to tell us that Moshe Rabbeinu got all his wealth from the stones on the Luchos? For what reason do we need to know the source of his wealth? What difference would it make if he got it from the Luchos or if he simply inherited it? Additionally, was this the only way where Moshe could have gotten his wealth from? If he wanted to be wealthy, he could have opened up a business. Why did he get his wealth specifically from the stones on the Luchos?

It is clear to any intelligent person that there is great depth contained in this matter. Moshe Rabbeinu’s wealth came from the Luchos, which was carved out from Hashem’s own writing. The Sages state that the word for “carved”, charus, can also be read “cheirus”, “freedom”, alluding to a freedom from the Angel of Death and evil inclination.[21] Moshe Rabbeinu had revelation of the soul, but because he had a physical body, the light of his soul was being restrained. By revealing his soul, Moshe reached a state of freedom. He merited to reach the “fiftieth gate” (according to many opinions).

So on one hand, he had the freedom of the soul, but he also had a body to contend with, which prevented his soul from being fully revealed. In order to weaken the body’s hold from upon his soul, he needed something physically expansive that could do this. For this reason, he needed to be wealthy. This is also the reason why his wealth didn’t come from a mere business, and it had to come from the Luchos, which connoted cheirus\freedom. This is a totally different kind of “wealth” than those who seek external wealth for its own sake, which is clearly not coming from the same source in the soul as the aforementioned one.

On one hand, Chazal said, “Eat bread in salt, drink water in a cistern, and on the ground, sleep. Live a life of pain, and in the Torah you shall exert” [which implies a very frugal lifestyle and the antithesis to wealth]. On the other hand, we find that Moshe Rabbeinu, the one who received the Torah from Heaven, possessed wealth [and hence did not live a life of pain and frugality]. Isn’t this a contradiction? (Perhaps we can answer this issue by saying that at first Moshe was poor, and only later did he became wealthy through the Luchos. But this is not true, because Moshe was born into wealth, growing up in the home of Pharoah.)

[The answer to this is based on the following.] Earlier, we brought the statement of the Rebbe of Kamarna, who said: “Do not judge the heart of the king, for you do not know what is in his heart.” The depth of this statement is that the king’s wealth [in the ideal situation] does not stem from physical desire of the body, but from a spiritual source, the soul.

The Hebrew for wealthy is “ashir”, from the word aseir, “ten”, alluding to the ten root forces of the soul, which correspond to the Ten Expressions that Hashem used to create the world with, the Ten Commandments, and the Ten Sefiros (lit. “emanations”, the upper worlds). When man reaches a state in which the ten root forces of his soul are revealed and these forces are in their intensity, if he would be living as a soul in Gan Eden right now, he would be fine. But since he is found down below on this “world of action”, he is clothed in the physicality of the body, which prevents the soul from becoming more revealed.

In order to allow the soul’s revelation to shine within even the physical body, man can make use of wealth, in order to accomplish this. By viewing beauty and extravagance, the wealth of the soul can be awakened and revealed.

This concept, when you first hear it, may sound absurd. But it is a very deep matter. We clearly do not mean, chas v’shalom, that one who possesses beautiful furniture will thereby reveal his neshamah. Rather, what we mean is that the neshamah wishes to become revealed, but the darkened, impoverished state of the body prevents the revelation of the neshamah, andby expanding the body’s vision [through looking at beauty and wealth], one gives space for the neshamah to become revealed.

In summary of this matter, if a person has not yet purified himself internally, and he becomes involved with the pursuit of wealth, all he will do is strengthen the body’s hold upon him, and from this, he may fall into all kinds of evil desires, G-d forbid. But if one is like Dovid HaMelech, who said “My heart is emptied from within me”,[22] who has calmed his physical desires, in such a case, living in extravagance is stemming from the light of the soul which has shined its way into the body. As mentioned, if this is being pursued out of a desire for wealth, a person will have an abysmal spiritual descent from it. But if a person lives in extravagance because it is an outward expression of the soul’s light within him, a person can then reach higher spiritual levels through the wealth.

As we mentioned before, there were some tzaddikim who served Hashem through “breaking the body”, and this avodah is also known as “rectifying the external”; they rectified the body by “breaking” its hold, and in terms of the Baal Shem Tov, this is known as “subjugation” (hachnaah) and “separation” (havdalah). Other tzaddikim served Hashem mainly through “sweetening” (hamtakah) [and that is why they lived in palace-like homes, so that they could constantly view beauty and extravagance and thereby awaken the wealth of the soul, which elevated their physical bodies as well].

One who serves Hashem through “subjugation” (hachnaah) and “separation” (havdalah) is “breaking” the body, whereas one who serves Hashem through “sweetening” (hamtakah) gives an inner expansion to his body, shining the light of the soul from within the body, and into the body, by using the “tools” of physical extravagance.

Chazal give three examples of these “tools” of physical extravagance that may be used to awaken the soul: “Three things expand a person’s mind (daas): A beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and beautiful vessels.”[23] But, as emphasized earlier, a person must first have daas, before he “expands” it. Usually, when a person seeks a beautiful house and a beautiful wife, he is the kind of person who does not have daas. Only when someone possesses holy daas which comes from the light of his neshamah - when the light of his daas is shining within him - can he gain spiritually from the expansion of the mind afforded from physical extravagance. But when someone does not have this daas, he will not gain anything spiritually from owning physical possessions of extravagance, and he will be left with nothing but an absence of daas (chas v’shalom).

We did not explain these words so that a person can walk away from this and conclude that he needs to become wealthy. Rather, we explained about this only because we need to have an inner understanding about what wealth is and how it can be used on a soul level. Anyone who has made use of wealth for these spiritual reasons will, at times, need to give an accounting to Hashem about his intentions, if this wealth is indeed needed to awaken his soul’s royalty, or if he is just using wealth for the sake of simply indulging in extravagance.

It has been explained here that in concept, living a life surrounded by wealth, and looking at beauty, can bring a person to the revelation of the soul. That is why all of the kings of our own history, from Moshe Rabbeinu (who is actually the first king) and onward, all possessed wealth.

11. Seeing Objects Used By Tzaddikim

Let us continue, to discuss another method [of spiritual vision].

One of the fundamental concepts that the holy Baal Shem Tov taught is the well-known principle that “The potential force of the doer is in the deed” (“koach hanif’al b’poel”). Meaning to say, when a person performs an action, all of his energy is really found in the action or thing that he has done. From a superficial perspective, a carpenter who has just completed building a table has no connection to the table he has made. But when the Baal Shem Tov would see a table, he could see what the intentions of the carpenter were in making the table were, what the carpenter’s deeds were, and which mitzvos and sins that he did.

The depth behind this concept is that the action or handiwork of a person really contains the energy of the person. When a person has done and made something, his energies are found in it, and they exist in it. The Sages said that one may be bound to a sin and “tied to it like a dog”, and the depth behind this matter is because when he sins, he has put his own energy into the sin. Even though it was a physical act and the action is over, the action continues to exist as a potential force.

A person’s energies remain existent in a deed that he has done, even after he has completed the action. Usually, he has put a lot of energy into the action, which means that he has attached himself deeply to it.

Of what relevance does this concept have to us? It bears the following ramifications. When a person reads a book authored from an impure source, he connects his soul to the handiwork of the person who wrote it, which means that he is connecting to the soul of the author. This can have a harmful spiritual effect on him, being that the particular author is an impure source. It is like a person walking into a dirty place, such as a garbage dump, which causes the dirt to become attached to him as he walks through it. So too, when one reads and learns the work of a person whose thoughts and feelings are not connected to a truthful place, these impure energies will become attached to the reader.

The same is true vice versa. If a person reads a sefer written by a tzaddik, he nurses forth spiritual power that is embedded into the sefer, the handiwork of the tzaddik who authored it.

If we extend the ramifications of this concept, we can understand that whenever we look at anything, we are either revealing the soul, or concealing it further; either we are refining our spiritual senses, or we are weakening them.

Therefore, looking at the handiwork of a tzaddik is beneficial to the soul, because the tzaddik’s spiritual energy is contained in his handiwork, and by viewing it, the light of the soul can be awakened. The same is true vice versa: if a person looks at the handiwork of a wicked person, this can awaken his own dark side. For this reason, there were some great sages who did not want to view the world around them, for the world today is captured by materialism; later, we will explain more about this, with the help of Hashem. But way before that level, a person should make sure to avoid looking at things which were made by wicked individuals.

On the positive side, in order to develop the soul’s sense of vision, one can make sure to look at the handiwork of tzaddikim, which they either made or used. For example, if a person takes a kiddush cup which was used by a tzaddik for many years, and he focuses on it with deep concentration, he may be able to become spiritually elevated from this. The tzaddik had used this cup, held it in his hand, and looked at it, so there was an imprint of holiness left on the cup from this. It is like a person who touched a cup when he had oily hands, which causes some of the oil on his hands to stick to the cup, and the next person who uses the cup will get his hands oily when he holds the cup. In the same vein, since the soul of a tzaddik is more revealed, it extends outward and it affects the surroundings, so whatever a tzaddik will touch and see will become illuminated by his soul’s light.

This effect varies in its strength, depending on the level of the tzaddik’s soul, and on the connection the tzaddik had with the particular object, and other factors. But, generally speaking, an object receives light from the tzaddik’s soul, just from being used or being seen by the tzaddik. Therefore, one who views this object can also be awakened to holiness, when he views the object with deep reflection and concentration, with the intention to acquire holiness; this illuminates the light of his own soul, when he views the object that was used\seen by the tzaddik.

This is why we have seen that throughout the generations, there has been much value placed on heirlooms and other inherited objects which were left over by holy tzaddikim, such as crowns, clothing, chairs, etc. Besides for the nostalgia associated with these possessions, and all the natural feelings that people may have for these things, there is also a great depth contained in this items, which is far more valuable. Within these objects is a hidden, inner force of energy – the light of the neshamah.

If a person wants to use these items wisely, he should take one of these items used by tzaddikim and place it within his direct eyesight, and stand in front of it for five minutes, looking and concentrating deeply on it – as deeply as one can. (In fact, it is such a deep experience that it cannot be described in the word.) The intention of looking at it should be: to reveal the soul. The intention of entering the soul into the equation, through deeply looking and concentrating, can awaken one’s soul to connect with the soul of the one who had seen this object - the tzaddik who used it.

Thus, looking at holy items that were used by tzaddikim, which is the concept of “the potential force of the doer is in the deed”, is a great tool to reveal the neshamah, when this idea is used properly and sensibly.

12. The Danger To These Paths

Before we conclude, let us review what we said in the beginning of this chapter, since it is so important. Looking at the sky and sea, looking into a flame, looking at the name of havayah, and the other methods of spiritual vision explained (which we will explain more of, with the help of Hashem) are all but tools that can help assist us in revealing the soul, by way of the sense of sight. Gaining a sense of spiritual vision is therefore not the goal; it is just a tool to reach revelation of the soul.

This can be compared to a person who has a home infected with mice. If he wants to trap the mice, he places a mousetrap with cheese on it, and the next morning when he wakes up he may find seven dead mice on the mousetrap, which all gravitated towards the cheese. By the same token (l’havdil), when a person reveals spiritual vision, or spiritual hearing, etc., he can pull the revelation of the soul towards him.

The matters here are deep and subtle, and we stated clearly on the onset of these words that they all contain a danger. There are many people who enter into these kinds of avodah here, and they become very delusional. In more dramatic cases of this issue, there are people who have times where they have “kabalas kahal” (receiving the public), where they see people who come to them and tell them the future (which we can more correctly label as fantasy), and sometimes their premonitions come true, and sometimes they don’t. They offer advice and answer people’s questions. But even if they would know for sure what is taking place behind the curtains in Heaven, we can compare it to a person looking at an object that he doesn’t recognize. How can they give advice on things which they have no connection to?!

Such a person is like someone who offers on advice on how to use a mixer, when he has never seen a mixer and he doesn’t know a thing about mixers. His advice is worthless, because you can’t give advice about something when you don’t know its content. So even if we find a person who can see spiritual things, this does not mean that he understands what he sees. Children also see all kinds of things and they don’t understand what they are seeing, and they don’t even understand half about what they are seeing.

A person might have begun to access his sense of spiritual vision, through using any of the methods mentioned in this chapter, but that doesn’t mean he understands a thing in what he sees. Foolish and naïve people are drawn after such a kind of person, who can indeed see spiritual things, but who has become deluded by his newfound power, claiming that he can tell the future. He tells people if their next child will be a boy or girl, and this is enough for people to come see him and to believe everything he says, treating him as if he is the Urim V’Tumim on Aharon HaKohen….

What is the root of the error? It is certainly true that a person may begin to see spiritual things, if he has opened the soul’s sense of sight, using any of the methods explained in this chapter, which enable a ‘crack’ in the body for the soul to shine through. But if the person doesn’t understand what he is seeing, he is like one who “sees, but does not know what he sees.” Yet, he immediately starts giving advice to people….

There are people who can see certain things, but they don’t have the energy to deal with what they are seeing. It is like a person who sees that there is a tsunami coming, who can scream to everybody that a big catastrophe is coming, but there is nothing he can do to prevent it, and there is nothing he can advise to people about it. His ability to “see things” is useless. Therefore, seeing doesn’t necessarily mean understanding.

Therefore, we are warning from the start that these words contain a danger, to the one who treads these paths. The purpose of these methods is not to gain spiritual vision, and surely it will be detrimental to one who uses spiritual vision as a way to see and foretell things. The goal is to reveal the soul, and expanding the senses is only one of the paths to get there. We can say that it is quite possibly a dangerous path of avodah for one to take.

Fortunately, there is an alternate path to take, which is much more truthful and even more calming: exertion in the study of Torah.

13. In Summary and In Conclusion

We will briefly summarize. In this chapter, we mainly discussed ways to use the spiritual sense of vision, with regards to seeing the material world (Yeish).[24] Spiritual vision is really a view that comes from the neshamah. The person is viewing it from his physical body, but it is really the neshamah which is seeing; it is just cloaked by the physical eye.

In order to awaken and reveal the neshamah, we have brought several examples from the words of our Sages, of how to awaken the soul’s light that is within man. Understandably, we are only at the very beginning of this. There are different paths to take when it comes to each of the soul’s senses., and even in the details that were explained there, there is still much more that can be discussed. We have only scratched the surface of the general paths which open the soul’s sense of vision.

The common denominator between all of these paths is that their purpose is to bring us to outwardly reveal the soul’s abilities, which can be deemed as the “offspring” of the soul. From there, we can reach the actual essence of the soul, and then we can go on to reach the One Who said that this world shall be.